Fastener attached structure and fastener for the same



Feb. 4, 1941;. w. c. MacFADDEN FASTENER ATTACHED STRUCTURE AND FASTENER FOR THE SAME Filed Nov. 15. 1937 Patented Feb. 4, 1941 FASTENER ATTACHED STRUCTURE Ann FASTENER FOR THE SAME Wilford C. MacFadden, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Philco Radio and Television Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Delaware i Application November 15, 1937, Serial No. 174,641

' 2 Claims. (01. 248-361) My invention relates to improvements in a fastening device for securing an electrical or the like unit to a supporting structure and to installations of the same. 1 v

Referring to the drawing, which represents preferred embodiments of my invention:

Figure 1 is a top plan view showing one method by which an electrical unit, such as a coilform, may be secured to a support through means of my improved fastener member;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the installationshown in Fig. 1 but showing only a portion of the coil form;

Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 but showing only a portion of the coil form;

Fig. 4 is a front view of a portion of an electrical unit with my fastener member in assembly therewith; i

Fig. 5.is a sectional view of the installation shown in Fig. 4; n

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing one method by which the fastener" member is assembled with the electrical unit; i

Fig. 7 is a bottom view of one form of supporting panel to which the electrical unit is secured;

Fig. 8 is a bottom view of the installation shown in Fig. l with my fastener member in one position relative to the supporting panel;

Fig. 9 is a view similar to that of Fig. 8 but showing my fastener member moved into final fixed position relative to the support;

Fig. 10 is a bottom view of an installation showing the method by which an electrical unit" may be secured to a modified form of support ing panel through means of my improved fastener member;

Fig. 11 is a section taken along the line H-H of Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a view, partly in section, showing a third method by which an electrical unit, such as a transformer, is secured to a supporting panel through means of my fastener member; and

Fig. 13 is a top view of my fastener member per se.

An object of my invention is toprovide a simple.

' face of the support 2 when the parts of the inand inexpensive fastening means for securing an electrical unit, such as a coil form, condenser, transformer or the like, to a supporting panel of a radio set. It is understood, however, that I i do not wish to limit my fastener member to assembly with units of the classes illustrated and described because thefastener member may be used advantageously for securing other articles to a supporting structure without'departing from the scope and spirit of my present invention,

Referring to my first form of installation illustrated in Figs. 1 through 9 of the drawing, I have shown-an electrical unit such as a coil form' of the type commonly. used in a radio set. The coil form has a tubular-shaped outer covering l of cardboard or other relatively stiff material which is adapted to be wound with a wire coil (not shown) in a manner well known in the art. The unit is secured to a relatively thin supporting panel 2 through means of my improved, preferably U-shaped, fastener member 3 in a way to be fixed in upstanding relation to the panel.

My preferred form of outer covering I has a pair of apertures 4-4 in opposed sides thereof near its lower end for receiving portions of the fastener member 3 so as to enable the fastener member to be secured to the unit by a method to be described. In the method of securing the electrical unit to the supporting-panel 2, shown in Figs. 1-9, I have provided a panel having a pair of spaced narrow openings 5-5 extending inwardly from a free edge? thereof, as most clearly shown in Fig. 7. At the innermost ends of the openings 5-5 I have formed openings 6 extending laterally from each of the openings 5-5 in the same direction so as to provide shoulders 'I-I (Fig. 7) which face away from the edge 2 of the panel 2 for a purpose to be described. Referring in detail to my preferred form of fastener member 3, I have shown a fastener member having a pair of oppositely-disposed arms 8-8 spaced one from another a distance which is a slightly greater than the width of material 5 of the panel 2 between the openings 5-5. At the free ends of the arms 8-8 I have provided inwardly-extending hook-like portions 9-9 adapted to engage the covering I through the apertures 5-4 thereof for securing the fastener member to the coil form. The arms 8-8 are connected together at their ends opposed to their free ends by a connecting portion In. The connecting portion ll] is normally bulged inwardly toward the hook-shaped portions 9-9 thereby providing an expansible and contractible portion capable of effecting a spring engagement with a bottom surstallationhave been finally assembled together. The fastener member 3 may easily be assembled with the coil form through first inserting the hook-shaped portion 9 of one of the arms 8 through an aperture 4 of the covering I so that the fastener member will take a position relative result that the hook-shaped portions 9-9 of the fastener member engage material of the covering I adjacent the respective apertures 4, in the manner shown in Fig.5, so as to secure the fastener member in assembly with the covering. When the fastener member is in'flnal attachment with the covering I the connecting portion I 01' the fastener member is positioned beneath the lower end of the covering with the apex I I of the bulged portion I0 spaced from the horizontal plane of the lowermost end ofsthe covering I a distance less than the thickness of the supporting panel 2.

In attaching the coil form to my first form of supporting panel 2, narrow edges of the arms 8-8 are moved into the narrow openings -5. During this action the material 5" of the panel 2 between the openings 55 is moved between the connecting portion III and the lower end of the covering I so as to engage the apex II of the portion III with a lower surface of the panel. This engagement expands the inwardly-bulged portion tending to straighten the same with the result that the bulged portion, in its effort to retake its normal bulged shape, engages the lower surface of the panel in a spring grip. It will be noticed that opposite sides I2 of the portion 5 adjacent the edge 2' may converge toward each other (Figs. 7-9) so as to provide a lead for easy insertion of the portion 5 between the -connecting portion I8 and the lower end of the covering I. Next, thearms 8-8 are moved through the openings 5-5 until their edges abut the inner ends of the openings with the result that the fastener member takes a position substantially as shown in Fig. 8. Finally, the electrical unit is moved laterally so that the legs 8-8 are moved into the openings 6 and thereby disposed in final position behind. the shoulders 'I-| of the panel. Thus the unit is detachably secured to the supporting panel through resilient engagement of the connecting portion I0 with a lower surface of the panel 2 aided by the position of the arms 8--8 behind the shoulders I--I. The electrical unit may easily, be disengaged from the support.

through reversing the action hereinabove described Although in the form ofpanel member illustrated in Figs. 1-9 the openings 55 extend from a free edge of the panel, it is understood that secure attachment of the parts could be carried out if the openings 5-5 were to extend from an opening disposed within the periphery of the panel and having a size suitable for receiving the fastener member.

Referring to Figs. 10 and 11 of the drawing, I

have shown a second method by which an electrical unit, such as a coil form, is secured to a supporting panel of modified construction by means of a fastener member which is substantially of the form illustrated and described in connection with the fastener illustrated in connection with my first form of invention. The supporting panel has an integral finger-shaped portion I4 extending from the body I3 thereof and adapted to be disposed between the connectingportion lower endof the coil form. In my second form of installation the lower surface of the finger I4 is resiliently engaged by the connecting portion l0 ofthe fastener member substantially in the manner in which the lower surface of the portion 5 of my first form of panel is engaged by the fastener member. As a means for preventing the fastenermember from working off the finger I4,

I have formed a bump I5 extending beneath the III of the fastener member 3 and a' lower surface of the finger I 4 and spaced laterally thereon from the body I3 of the panel substantially as shown in Fig. 10. Assembly of an electrical unit with my second form of supporting panel is a relatively easy matter and may be carried out through moving the unit with assembled fastener toward the outermost free end of the finger I4 so that the finger is disposed between the connecting portion III of the fastener member and the lower end of the electrical unit I. Then the unit assembly is moved along the finger I4 until the connecting portion III is final-- ly disposed between the bump I5 and the body I3 01 the panel substantially as shown in Fig. 10. The connecting portion I'll expands during movement over the bump I 5 and then contracts to enage behind the bump so as to prevent ready withdrawal of the fastener member from the support.

Fig. 12 of the drawing is illustrative of a method by which my improved fastener member may be used in combination with a rivet, bolt or the like, for securing an article of manufacture to a supporting panel. The installation which I have chosen to illustrate the third use of my fastener member comprises an electrical unit in the form of an I. F. transformer of a type well known in the radio art secured to a supporting panel 2 by means of my fastener member 3. The fastener 3 is of the same type illustrated in connection with the other forms of my invention but has an opening I6 in the connecting portion I0 thereof. The transformer, only a portion of which is shown in the drawing, includes a metal can I! having apertures I8 in opposite sides thereof for receiving the hook-like portions 9-9 of the fastener member 3. Disposed within the can I! is an iron core I9 spaced from the panel 2 by a block 20. Thecore I9 has an outer covering of cardboard or the like material with inturned ends 2| Assembly of the transformer device with the panel 2 is carried out by means of a bolt having a head portion 22 disposed within the core I9 and a shank 23 extending through the lower end of the core, the spacing means 28, the support 2 and the aperture I6 of the connecting portion IU of the fastener member 3. A nut 24 is engaged with the shank 22 of the bolt and screwed up. against the lower surface of the connecting portion III of the fastener member to draw the transformer unit tightly against the panel 2.

Thus by my invention I have provided a very simple and inexpensive fastener member which is particularly adapted for securing articles of manufacture, such as electrical devices and other parts, to a supporting panel. My improved methods of assembly are of great commercial value to the radio set manufacturer because through means of the same it is possible for an electrical unit, such as a coil form or transformer of the type described, to be quickly secured to the panel of a radio set in a way to take up a minimum amount of space.

Although I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereby because the scope of arms and of a width at least as great as the thickness of said arms; and a pair of internal shoulders formed by lateral extensions of said slots in the same direction and intermediate the ends of said slots, whereby said arms may be 'readily inserted in said slots and disposed behind said shoulders for retention thereby by laterally shifting the arms after their aforesaid edgewise movement.

2. A support for a tubular-shaped article having a fastening member including a pair of spaced flat arms, said support comprising a relatively thin supporting panel provided with a pair of spaced slots into which said arms may be moved edgewise, said slots being of a length reater than the width of said arms and of a width at least as great as the thickness of said arms; and a pair of internal shoulders formed by lateral extensions of said slots in the same direction and intermediate the ends of said slots, whereby said arms may be readily inserted in said slots and disposed behind said shoulders for retention thereby by laterally shifting the arms after their aforesaid edgewise movement, the distance between the center lines of said slots being at least as great as the external diameter of said tubular-shaped article.

WILFORD C. MACFADDEN. 

